Structural member manufacture



a J- S. LOCHHEAD ET AL STRUCTURAL MEMBER MANUFACTURE Filed March 8, 1922 Jdfllochh eadflffiM'ZZer their W Patented Mar. 31., 1925.

UNI'T I:Z"I {STATS PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES S. LOCHHEAD AND J OSEPH R. MI-LLEIB, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

" STRUCTURAL MEMBER MANUFACTURE.

Application filed March"8', .1922. Serial No. 542,151.

To all whom it may GOMM'ItF Be it, known that'we, JAMES S. LOCHHEAD and JOSEPH R. MILLER, citizens of the United States, residingv in "Pittsburgh, county of Allegheny.-and State of Pennsyl vania, have invented an Improvement in Structural Member Manufacture, of which the'following descriptiomin connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

1 proved structural element having strength, light weight and convenient form. and

Our 'inventlon aims to provide an im- Which can be made atlow cost. In the accompanying draw ngs, wherein we have'shown one embodiment of our 1n- .vention "for purposes ofillustration, Fig. 1 1 1s.a side view of'an I-beam of usual form,

the web of which has been slitted or punched preparatory'lto further {treatment according to our'inyention; F1g.'2 1s a s milar v1' Fig. 3 isa cross-section of the same on the line 3- -3. of Fig. 2, the original' outline of thebeambeingshownin dotted lines;

Fig. ,4is a side view of the beam after rolling the web and-flanges .to reduce and elongate them; i

" 'Fig. 5 is aside ther rolling the flanges;

showing the thicknessbefore rolling in dotted lines;

Fig. 7 isa side view of the beam after,

' separating the flanges to straighten out the web members or ties connecting the flanges;

Fig. 8 is a similar side view of the beam after again rolling the flanges to elongate the beam further; h

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectionon the line 9-9 in Fig 8 after separating and rerolling the flanges, the dotted lines showing the shape before rerolling the flanges; and

Figs. 10 and 11'are a side elevation and element. v V

In the particular embodiment of our invention selected for illustration herein and shown in the drawings, referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, starting with an I-beam 11 of suitable cross-sectionalv shape, the web cross-section, respectively, of the finished 12 is formed byslitting, punching or other ew after rolling the View the sameiafter fur-1 suitable means, into a series of more or less 'V-shape connecting members 13, having their diverging ends attached to the flanges 14:. These V-shape web members 13 are so dlsposed that their converging ends point the leading end of the beam as it passes through the slit-forming machine.

The connecting webmembers may have any suitable shape, and the open spaces between them may be varied as and where desiredas may be found most advantageous in producing the form of finished product desired.

Following theslit-forming operation the beam is passed through suitable rolls, and the flanges 14 are rolled so as to elongate them without affecting the web portions, thereby separating the connecting members adjacent the flanges, leaving spaces or. openin the same direction, preferably away from ings 15 between them narrowing down at the bases: of the connecting members and adjacent the flanges, as shown in Fig. 2.

Next the entire beam is preferably reduced and elongated by rolling the web and flanges, thereby elongating not only the flanges but the connecting members as well, as illustrated inFig. 4:. This may be followed by again rolling the flanges alone to elongate 8 them as shown in Fig. 5, and to further separate the connecting'members 13. -The ef- 'fect of the rolling upon the connecting memhers is to obtain the desired additional length thereof, accompanied by additional elongation desired.

Following the rolling,

the beam-is passed through suitable guides, or operated on by a press, or by other means adapted to separate the flanges 14, thereby changing the lines or straightening the connecting web members to form ties 16 as illustrated in Fig. 7. If desirable the beam as a whole, or its flanges-14 or web separately, may be subjected to such further rolling or action as may be necessary or desired to further shape, straighten or align the component parts or any of them, desired ultimate form, such, for example, as illustrated in Figs. 8 to 11, and producing a light and strong beam suitable forany structural purpose. All of the operations are preferably performed hot.

Our invention is applicable to all types compactness and strength. The number of and'to produce the of webmembers for structural and other purposes, and obviously is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein illustrated and described. c

Having disclosed one illustrative embodi ment of our invention, What We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as shape to elongate said web members and separating the marginal portions to bend said ties transversely across the intervening space to form an open work Web.

3. A process ot forming structural members by dividing the intermediate portions of a rolled shape into a series of V-shaped members connecting the marginal portions, rolling said shape to elongate said members and separating the marginal portions to bend said members transversely across the intervening space to form an open ork web. 7 7

i. A process of forming-structural members by dividing the intermediate portions of a rolled shape into a'series of strips con necting the marginal portion, rolling said shape to elongate said strips and marginal portions, and separating the marginal portions to bend said strips transversely across the intervening space to form an open work Web.

5. A process of forming structural membersby dividing the intermediate portion of a rolled shape into a series'of transverse strips connecting the marginal portions, the middles of said strips being displaced lengthwise of the member from the ends of the strips, rolling said shape to elongate said strips, and separating the marginal portions to bend said strips transversely across the intervening space to form an open work web.

6. A process of forming structural members by dividing the intermediate portions of a rolled shape into a series of angularly disposed members connecting the marginal portions, rolling said shape to elongate said connecting members and marginal portions, and separating the marginal portions to bend said connecting members transversely across the intervening space to form an open Work Web.

7. A process of forming structural members by dividing the intermediate portion of a rolled shape into a series of inclined ties connecting the marginal portions, rolling said shape to elongate said marginal portions and separate said 'ties, and separating the marginal portions to bend said ties transversely across the intervening space to form an open Work Web.

S. A process of forming structural members by dividing the intermediate portions of a rolled shape into a series of inclined ties; connectingthe marginal portions, rolling said shape to elongate said marginal portions and separate said ties, rolling said ties to elongate them, and separating the marginal portion to bendxsaid ties transversely across the intervening space to form an open Work web.

9. A rocess of forming a structural member by orming the intermediate portion of a7 rolled shape, to produce a series of inclined strip portions connecting the margmal portions, rolling saldshape to elon- ..gate said strip. portions in a direction transverse to the member as a whole, and separating the marginal portions to bend-said strip portions transversely across the interveningspaceto form rigid ties.

In testimony whereof, We have signed our names to this specification.

JAMES sLoom-inAn. JOSEPHR. MILLER. 

